REALTOR Safety is an Important Issue
LOUISIANA REALTORS • September 15, 2017
Louisiana REALTORS® wants REALTORS® to keep safety top of mind on the job by increasing knowledge
about the dangers, awareness
of surroundings and situations, and empowerment
to be cautious and stay safe. REALTOR® Safety not only pertains to physical self, but to your client's properties and most recently identity theft and Internet security.
Resources recently shared:
Phishing Smishing - How to Not Fall Victim to Scams
Smishing
is a new term used to describe using text messages to trick mobile users into handing over personal data, financial information, or even cash. Because email service providers like Google or Yahoo continue to develop new ways to combat spam and phishing, text scams are becoming more prominent with hackers.
REALTORS® are especially prone to this type of scam because mobile phone numbers are published in multiple places and hackers have found a way to intercept the transaction to gather financial information. Earlier this month NAR issued a scam alert
where members reported receiving a message asking for payment of a fine or a notification telling the recipient they have won a prize.
Urgent Alert: Sophisticated Email Scams Targeting the Real Estate Industry
Criminals are hacking into the email accounts of real estate agents or other persons involved in a real estate transaction and using information gained from the hack to dupe a party into a fraudulent wire transfer. The hackers often send an email that appears to be from an individual legitimately involved in the transaction, informing the recipient, often the buyer, that there has been a last minute change to the wiring instructions. Following the new instructions, the recipient will wire funds directly to the hacker’s account, which will be cleared out in a matter of minutes. The money is almost always lost forever. <<Read more from NAR>>
Phishing scams: Don’t let your clients get caught on the hook
Phishing and wire fraud
continue to present the biggest threats real estate agents
and their clients will face in 2017. Hackers have discovered a soft spot for committing financial fraud, and agents and our transactions are the bull’s-eye. As professionals, we need to do everything in our power to stop and prevent a single loss of our client’s purchase or sale proceeds. <<Read More from Inman>>(login required)
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NAR is sharing its latest consumer guide, Seller Handoff Checklist . Sellers can create a smooth transition for the new owners using the new one-page guide. It offers a handy checklist of information and resources that sellers can pass along—from appliance manuals to paint colors to garbage pickup schedules—as well as suggestions for goodwill gestures that will help buyers feel they made a great purchasing decision. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Seller Handoff Checklist Defining Home Buying Needs vs. Wants 10 Tips For Unpacking Smartly After A Move UPDATED: Multiple Listing Services Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Check out the next consumer guide on condominium insurance.
NAR Community and Transportation Preference Survey reinforces need for housing choices and shows support for community design to easily access daily destinations.
New Blueprint for Housing: What the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Means for Louisiana Real Estate
